


Harry Potter and the Flame of the Alchemist

by nlambrossmith



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-30
Updated: 2018-04-30
Packaged: 2019-04-30 02:20:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,133
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14486679
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nlambrossmith/pseuds/nlambrossmith
Summary: All has been well in the Wizarding world, but rumors of a dark force have begun to spread. Magic is disappearing. Harry Potter is once again called upon to help save the world from destruction, from an enemy that he can never seem to escape. Set ten years after the events of Cursed Child, this is the final chapter of the Harry Potter saga.





	Harry Potter and the Flame of the Alchemist

Chapter One  
Seducentia Mortem

          The night air was crisp, cleaner than any they had experienced so far this summer. As they walked through the grass, their feet left a trail in the dew. It was still too cold to shed their cloaks, but something in the air gave the older of the two men the sense that today would be the warmest yet. They continued silently moving, the younger moving his hand side to side, holding a device that emanated a bright light. The older one had recognized it immediately as some sort of Muggle invention; his mother had used something similar the last time they had met in order to talk to his grandmother. The younger had been trained in how to use it, but only knew it as the Speculoscope. Coming from a purely magical family, he had never been exposed to anything like it before.   
          The device was made of mostly metal, with a glass surface on one side. Responsive to his touch, he could navigate a complicated maze of different functions. Each function served a different magical purpose; his current one emanated a sort of signal that could trace spells and magical auras around the device. These new tools had been commissioned by the Ministry as part of an initiative by the infamous Weasley family. The Minister of Magic herself had embraced the idea of developing Muggle technology for Magical use. The Speculoscope had so far proved to be a very helpful tool indeed. Many magical families were wary of the device, and refused to use it. However, the Aurors had quickly adopted them into their daily operations. They made quick work of simple spells, and left the Aurors free to defend themselves while using the device to carry on more difficult tasks — such as searching for the remnants of magic in the middle of the night.  
          “This is where the trail ends,” the younger man said. The device had been tracking something, but the screen now showed nothing but the map that they had followed. The older man pulled out his wand and muttered an incantation. The device pulled up a different function, which appeared to take a moment to analyze the area. After a moment, the device populated a list of spells.  
          “Clearly, there was a battle here,” the older man concluded. The younger man moved through the list and read the different spells aloud. As he got to the last few, his voice caught.  
          “The killing curse, twice. Both connected with something.”  
          The two men looked at each other with a sense of unease. Their fears had been confirmed; Unforgivable curses on the rise. The younger man tapped the screen a few times, then it began another function. The device made a strange noise; a high pitched and mechanical beeping. Suddenly, a woman’s face appeared on the screen.  
          “Hello Jones, Strandley. I’ve received your report from the field. Were you able to pull a location for their Apparition Points?” she said.   
          “From Reading to here, then to Covent Garden,” answered Strandley, the younger of the two men. “Right in the central square.”  
          “In pure daylight? I’m surprised that we weren’t alerted that they were seen by Muggles,” she responded. Her face shifted, as if she were looking at something other than her own Speculoscope. After a moment, her focus returned to the two Aurors.  
          “At 18:42 in Covent Garden Piazza, a disturbance was reported regarding two men fighting. Witnesses say that the two men seemed to appear suddenly from behind a wall, fought viciously, then disappeared as suddenly after moving out of sight. The men were described as both being tall, thin and around the age of 17. They appeared to be dressed in long coats. Well, at least this confirms that the killing curse was not effective on the target.” The woman appeared a bit relieved as she came to this conclusion. Since the Improper Use of Magic Office hadn’t reported any sightings by Muggles, the men had at least refrained from exposing their magic in this space.  
          “Do you want us to continue to pursue the trail?” Jones asked.   
          “No, this is enough information for now. The use of the Killing Curse will be enough to put them away. Please transmit your final reports before you leave the scene, and we’ll expect you back here shortly.” The screen returned to its neutral state as the communication ended.  
          The two Aurors were relieved, they hadn’t wanted to continue searching past daybreak, which would be coming soon. Jones pulled out his own Speculoscope and began running another of the functions, using his wand as a sort of aerial to further boost the capabilities of the device. Strandley mirrored this, amending his own final report as well. After they had finished, they both pressed the buttons on the side of the devices to put them into standby mode, then pocketed the devices.   
          “Do you think we might take a few moments to rest before going back? This has been an awfully long night,” said Strandley. The two had been working nonstop since midnight, nearly six hours before. Jones made a hum of agreement, and reached into his cloak for a pack of cigarettes. He pulled one out and lit it, taking a slow drag of the smoke. Strandley rolled his eyes at him, then set to stretching his legs. Suddenly, there was a loud pop behind the men.  
          “That’s an awful Muggle habit, mate.”  
          The two men were startled by the appearance of their superior. Jones dropped the cigarette, then realized that it was still lit and stomped it out. Strandley stifled a laugh at the absurdly exaggerated way that Jones did this. The woman that had spoken to them on the Speculoscope cut an imposing figure compared to the two of them, even though they were both well built and on the taller side. Her hair had been braided close to the scalp in a circular pattern, intricately designed. Her dark skin was covered in markings below her neck, tattoos that showed a moving solar system on one hand and a morphing symbol of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement that incorporated the four house mascots of Hogwarts on the other. While her brown cloak covered most of her body, it was easy to tell that these tattoos could be found everywhere underneath.   
          “Enforcer Uba, to what do we owe this pleasure?” Strandley asked, smiling. Uba tilted her head as if to tell Strandley off, but gave him a brief smile in return.   
          “I took a quick look at your reports, and noticed something strange. Jones, do you mind?” she said. She gestured toward his pocket, where he had placed the Speculoscope. Jones removed the device and handed it to her. She pulled up his report.  
          “Strandley, your results of the scan were just as you sent before. Jones, the one you ran after Strandley’s tells a completely different story,” she explained.   
          Uba handed Jones his device. As he looked over it, he could see exactly what she had meant. This report showed more than just the two Unforgivable curses that they had found with Strandley’s. Among the list of curses, an Imperio curse, one whose effects had been in place for long before the fight had begun.  
          “Enforcer Uba, this means…” Jones began.  
          “Someone was controlling one of the men, and for apparently quite a while,” Uba concluded. Jones and Strandley’s faces dropped. Surely this would mean that they needed to continue on the case.   
          A rustling in the bushes in the distance made all three take an alert stance. As they looked around, they realized that a group of teenagers had turned the corner down the street and were making their way towards the three of them.  
          “Great, Muggle youths.” Uba rolled her eyes and tucked away her wand. The other two followed her lead, putting away their wands and Speculoscopes. The three began walking towards the youths, attempting to pass as inconspicuously as possible. As they got closer, it was clear that the boys were drunk, as they were having a difficult time moving in a straight line. They were raucous, calling each other names and laughing as nothing. The three Aurors thought that they might actually avoid any kind of interaction, as the boys were very absorbed in their own group.   
          Just as they were almost past the boys, the scraggler in the group made eye contact with Uba.  
          “Oi, whatchoo dressing like that for?” he called out to the group. This sudden interjection caused the other boys to stop and try to focus on the three strangers. Upon a second glance, it was clear that they were strangers; while their brown trench coats wouldn’t have looked out of place in the winter, they stood out like a sore thumb in the July darkness.   
          “Good evening, boys,” Uba said, soothing out the rough edges of her voice to make it sound sweeter to the young men.   
          “Hey love, you wanna…” one of the young men began, then finished off by making a rude gesture to his crotch.   
          “Oh, young boy, you could never handle a woman like me,” Uba continued with the sweet facade. She walked up to the boy that had made the gesture, and grabbed his cheek like an old Auntie would. The other two Aurors were dumbfounded; they had never seen her act anything besides completely professional and a bit authoritative. Uba was performing for these boys. Suddenly, her imposing figure seemed to be smoothing out, becoming more feminine. Her blocky movement was slinky and slithering as she walked around the boys. They all laughed and called out the different things they wanted to do to her.  
          “Oh, you cheeky lads. Such big ideas. Tell you what, if you want some of this, help me out with something,” she taunted. She turned around and looked Jones and Strandley in their eyes, as if to ask them to join her charade. Before they could, she spoke one word.  
          “Now.”  
          It happened in a moment. A sudden bright flash, and the sound of magic bouncing off the pavement. The five young men had pulled their wands out with a precision that the Aurors had never seen before. The two were knocked to the ground and disarmed, completely dazed by the blows. Strandley attempted to scramble for his wand, which had flown clear across the lawn that they had trampled across earlier. A jolt to the back of his head knocked him out.  
          Jones watched as Strandley collapsed in a heap, then turned to look at the group of young men. Uba had taken out her wand as well, and all six of the group had their wands trained directly on Jones. The young men had clearly been playing the parts, as they all stood completely erect, in perfect dueling posture. From a few feet away, Jones heard a pinging noise. His Speculoscope had been blown away from his body as well, but the screen had illuminated with an analysis. _Polyjuice Potion.  
          _“Who are you?” Jones asked of the woman. She laughed, high pitched and completely unlike the voice of the Chief Enforcer that had spoken before.   
          “Ah, that you will never find out,” she chided. Another blast from a wand, and Jones was thrown to the ground again. His head hit the pavement, but he remained conscious. He knew better than to let them know he was still awake, so he clenched the fist that had fallen under his body when he had initially fallen and bit through the pain to pretend that he was out.   
          It was convincing enough for the false Uba, who turned to the group of young men that she commanded. They lowered their wands and waited, in an almost militaristic attention, for their leader to speak.  
          “The devices can now trace all of the Unforgivable Curses. They can also track our movements when we apparate. From this moment forward, broomsticks and other more conventional means of travel only. Only use the new spells distributed by the office of the Supreme Commander, as they’re the only ones we can be sure of being untraced.” The Imposter held her audience well, and the men nodded only in agreement with each statement. She gave a signal, her clenched fist over her chest, then thrust directly outward. The men returned this motion, then resumed their battle stances, wands directed at the two Aurors.  
          The Imposter pulled her wand to position as well, and pointed it at Strandley.  
          “Seducentia Mortem,” she spoke, coldly and clear.  
          A bright jet of red light burst forth from the tip of her wand. Jones kept his eyes shut, but could feel the heat and the light of the spell as it connected with his partner lying next to him. Strandley suddenly awoke, screaming. Jones listened and wished he could see what was happening, as it sounded like Strandley was being torn apart. His screams became muffled by the sound of gurgling in his throat. He continued to spit and cry out for a few moments, and then went completely silent. The group looked on in awe of this new spell. They turned to each other with fear on their faces.  
          Jones could feel his heart pounding. He knew that he would be next if he couldn’t figure out something. He tried his best to remember wandless magic; he had never been able to master it, but now it was his only chance. _If only I could find my wand_ , he thought.   
          It hit him in that moment. _The Speculoscope!_    
          The devices had been imbued with every magical core used in wandlore. They had been created using metals that had been forged in powerful potions. These devices may actually be used like a wand, he knew that already. He opened his eyes, ever so slightly, to see if the device was still only a few feet away. The screen was still illuminated, and he was right; it was close enough to grab.   
          Jones thrust himself around and grabbed the device, and pointed it toward the group. Before he could say anything, he was thrust up by the beams of five wands pointed directly at him. Suspended in midair, he couldn’t move. The Speculoscope was still in his hand, but he had no way of pointing it anywhere but up.  
          “Very clever, Mr. Jones,” the Uba double cooed. She walked past the group of young men and toward Jones. From ten feet above the ground, he could see Strandley’s body on the pavement, his face covered in blood. It looked as if he had choked to death, drowning in his own blood.  
          Jones tried his best to direct his energy through the Speculoscope. He could feel the device hum against his hand, as if to let him know that it was ready to help.  
          “REDUCTO!” he yelled. The device reacted, bursting out streams of light toward the five wizards holding Jones up in the air. As they blasted backwards, Jones fell to the ground. He felt a jolt of intense pain, and heard a crack as his leg caught the curb. The Speculoscope blasted back as well, and shattered against the street in a plume of multicolored smoke.   
          “Damn it, you fool. I needed that device.” The Imposter rounded on Jones, towering over his crumpled body. Her tone was no longer feminine, but coarse and full of malice.  
          “Who…” Jones coughed, “Who are you?”  
          “We are the Children of Darkness,” she said to him, all pretense dropped. She raised her wand toward him, and with two words shot another blast of red from her wand.  
          At first, Jones felt nothing; perhaps the spell hadn’t worked? He looked at his body, and could only see the blood on his pant leg from where the bone had broken through the skin. The Impostor surveyed Jones as well, looking for the effects of the curse. She looked at her wand, and was about to use the curse again, when Jones started to seize up.  
          He felt it in his arm first; a tingle, then a numbness. Then in an instant, his heart seemed to stop beating. His chest felt like it was collapsing on him. His blood felt as if it were boiling, the heat radiating from his core. The pain was immense, and he struggled to breathe while clutching at his heart. The Impostor smiled, then turned back to her group, all of whom had been knocked unconscious by the spell from the Speculoscope. Jones continued to cough and gasp for air, as he fell to the ground. In the last few moments, he could only see the woman as she walked away. His vision blurred, and as he collapsed completely to the ground, he exhaled his last breath.  
          The woman walked to the young man closest to her, the boy that had made the rude gesture toward her. She knelt down over his body, pulled her hand back, and slapped him across the face. He gained consciousness immediately, and quickly sat up at attention.  
          “Tell the General what we’ve discovered. Take the Speculoscope from the younger one. The old bastard smashed his,” she said. The young man nodded. “Wake the others, and make this scene look natural.”   
          As she finished, she stood up, and swept off the brown trench coat. Her face began to bubble and appeared to melt; she had used the potion so many times, it no longer hurt the way that it usually did. Her form reduced itself. As the transformation came to an end, her true self was revealed. She was slender and small, with alabaster skin and blonde hair. She reached into a pocket in the trench coat and pulled out a small pebble, upon which she pointed her wand and whispered a transfiguration spell. As the pebble transformed into a broomstick, the tattoos that adorned Uba vanished, replaced by one small marking on her wrist; a snake twisting in and out of a skull. She mounted the broomstick and lifted off into the night sky. As she looked below, she could see the remaining members of her team being roused. She moved her eyes forward, and leaned into the broom to speed away from the scene.  
          An hour later, a jogger and her dog would discover two bodies on the street in the fresh light of the morning. The police would come, and determine that both died from suspicious, yet seemingly natural causes. One dead of a punctured lung, and the other from a heart attack.  
          Two hours more, in the office of the Minister of Magic, Hermione Granger would slump in her chair. She had feared this happening, but this new development was the proof: The new war had begun.


End file.
